The Murder of Rose Larner
Warning, this case discusses murder, dismemberment and possible cannibalism.
For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 3 episode 13, titled ‘Out of the Ashes.’
An 18-year-old girl disappears after leaving a convenience store.
Background
Rose ‘Rosie’ Larner was the second of three children from a broken home. Rose became very rebellious and was described as a difficult teenager. Rose enjoyed being out with her friends at night. Rose worked at a local pizza shop in Lansing, Michigan.
Rose Larner
The Disappearance
On December 7, 1993, Rose stopped in at the local convenience store where her mom, also named Rose, worked.
Rose told her mom that she was going over to her friend Keith’s house. Rose Markey, Rose’s mom, told her daughter not to go because she had a bad feeling. Rose went anyways, and was never seen or heard from again.
Rose Markey contacted Keith the next day, but Keith said Rose had never showed up at his house. The police were contacted. At first, they learned that Rose was rebellious, and could’ve ran away. But, after examining her phone records, they learned she made about 1,500 calls a month.
Two weeks after Rose disappeared, a massive search in Lansing began. There were rumors that Rose was either in someone’s backyard or basement. The police searched many basements and gravel pits. But, the leads were all dead ends.
A Disturbing Story
The police had questioned Rose’s ex-boyfriend, John Ortiz-Kehoe, after she went missing. John said he had been with his friend, Bill Brown, and a new girlfriend of his on December 7. Bill corroborated John’s story.
Sadly, Rose’s case went cold for 2 1/2 years. The Michigan State Police began their own investigation into John Ortiz-Kehoe. They learned that John and Bill were in the drug dealing business together, and had customers all over Michigan.
The police put massive pressure on Bill until he finally cracked. Bill would go on to tell the police a very disturbing story of the events of December 7, 1993.
Bill said he had ran into Rose at the convenience store. Rose begged Bill to page John because she wanted to see him. Bill contacted John to pick them up, and he agreed if Rose would have a threesome with them. Rose agreed, so John picked them up and took them to his grandparent’s house.
Bill said Rose changed her mind about the threesome, so John strangled her. He then dismembered her body, and asked Bill to help him clean the house. Bill and John spent the next two days scrubbing every inch of the house. Then, they went to a cabin owned by Bill’s parents. They burnt Rose’s body and scattered her ashes along the highways of Michigan.
Bill said over the next several months, John wouldn’t let him out of his sight.
The Forensic Evidence
The police weren’t sure if Bill was telling them the truth, but a forensics team went to search the house owned by John’s grandparents. They had been out of town at the time that Rose was killed.
The police sprayed the bathroom with luminol, as that’s where Rose had been killed. Nothing was found because the testing took place 2 1/2 years after the murder.
The police did find an imprint in the hallway that looked like it had come from a bucket. There was also a small blood spot on the wallpaper. Rose had reported a sexual assault about 4 years before her disappearance. The police had her blood sample in evidence, so it was compared to the blood from the wallpaper. It was a match.
Bill also told the police that he and John had rinsed off bloody rags in the basement pump. The police collected the debris from the drain, and the fire pit at the cabin was excavated.
The fire pit resembled an archeological dig. The fire pit contents were examined by a ultraviolet light. The fragments were the size of a pea, but they were identified as bone from a human in their teens or early 20s. The fragments had been too burnt to perform a DNA analysis test on.
A Horrible Death
On December 7, 1993, Rose had ran into Bill at the convenience store. She had asked him to page John, and he agreed. Bill told the police that on the way to John’s grandparent’s house, John purchased a hatchet, knife and lighter fluid. Bill said he didn’t know what John had bought until later.
When they arrived at the house, the 3 of them took a shower together. John tried to initiate a threesome, but Rose refused. While Rose was at the sink, John came up behind her, and strangled her. He then slit her throat in the shower, and dismembered her.
John and Bill spent the next several days cleaning up the house. They took Rose’s body to the cabin, and burnt her body. They scattered her ashes on the highway. Bill actually said he prayed for her, but cared more about saving his own ass. Bill and Rose had been friends since they were young, and even had crushes on each other. He didn’t give two fucks about her when he helped kill her, and burn her body.
The Convictions
Before John could be arrested, he fled the country and went to Mexico. He was arrested 6 months later. The police said John was found drinking a beer when he was arrested.
At trial, John’s defense was that Bill had been the one who had killed Rose.
The prosecution said John had more a motive to kill Rose. John wanted Rose out of his life. They fought all the time. One fight led Rose to back her mom’s van into John’s truck. Rose was always following John when he went on dates with other girls. There were also rumors that John ate Rose’s flesh, but he denied it.
John was found guilty of premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Bill Brown was sentenced to 1 year in prison for helping to cover up the crime.
John Ortiz-Kehoe
Bill in the episode of Forensic Files
Other
John has racked up quite a few infractions in jail for fighting, possession of dangerous contraband and assault.
John Ortiz-Kehoe in a more recent prison photo
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don’t have that many closing thoughts, other than Bill and John obviously didn’t care about Rose. John wanted Rose out of his life, and Bill chose his friendship with John over his old friendship with Rose. Bill claimed he was afraid that John would kill him, but I don’t believe that.
Sources
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/11/02/rose-larner/814806001/
